(CBS News) — The Men’s World Cup is filling stadiums across North America, but the dozens of teams competing also need somewhere to call home between matches. Communities coast to coast are stepping up to host them — and the setups range from newly turfed university campuses to some of the most advanced soccer facilities in the country.
Brazil lands in the suburbs of New Jersey
Deep in the suburbs of New Jersey, one of the tournament’s top teams has found its base. Brazil is headquartered at the Columbia Park Training Facility — an 88,000-square-foot complex in Morris Township that was purposely built for soccer and recently opened for the New York Red Bulls MLS team.
Team Communications Director Andrew Vazzano, who gave CBS News a tour before Brazil’s arrival, said the facility may be one of the largest MLS facilities in the country. Inside, players have space to lift, relax, and recover.
“We’ve spared no expense for what they need, what players need to recover from the tough training sessions we put them through out on the field,” Vazzano said.
The grass is sacred
Outside, the practice pitch is carefully matched to the stadium field where Brazil faced Morocco. The quality of the turf is so important, CBS News correspondent Bradley Blackburn noted, that visitors are not even allowed to walk on it.
“The same grass, the same field conditions that they’re expected at the stadium — so it’s a sacrosanct field,” Vazzano said.
Teams spread out to campuses and stadiums nationwide
Unlike the Olympics, which uses a shared global athletes’ village, each World Cup team has its own separate base camp. More than two dozen communities across the country are hosting teams in a wide variety of facilities.
Congo is training at a stadium in Houston that just received new grass. Haiti is setting up at Stockton University near Atlantic City, where the school installed new turf and security fencing ahead of the team’s arrival.
Jeff Haines, Associate Athletic Director at Stockton University, said the selection process was competitive.
“A country has to pick us. They have to select us. So there were 20 sites across America that were not awarded a team. Haiti selected us, and yeah, we’re ready to go,” Haines said.
A tournament — and a moment — finding its home
Wherever the teams land, the base camps are fueling excitement for the tournament. The 48 teams participating in this World Cup will play in 104 different matches during the tournament.
“It’s truly a special moment for all of soccer in the United States and North America,” Vazzano said.